The Wheel Inn remembered (photo)

Juanita O'Leary: the force that made 'The Wheel' go 'round

By Rhonda Westfall

He prefers eating lunch at the counter, while she likes the cozy confines of booth-seating - but, that's the only difference of opinion Wheel Inn regulars Leon Brewbaker and Jeanne Rand have about the restaurant that has been a lunch-time gathering spot for the past 44 years.

Correction: make that breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night snack eatery.

The reason for the Wheel's popularity is simple.

"The service is great, the food is good, it's very clean - you can go there and relax and enjoy your meal," Brewbaker says, while Rand contributes the remaining key ingredient.

"Every age goes to the Wheel, from young kids to senior citizens, and if you ask them why they'll say, 'I meet my friends there,'" she says.

The two long-time Wheel patrons also agree on one other point: the Wheel and Juanita O'Leary are synonymous.

"I don’t think there's a better businessperson in all of St. Johns," Brewbaker says of the entrepreneur whose ownership of the Wheel ended last week with finalization of its sale to John Foster.

"She knew her business and grew it because she takes care of people - she gives them what they want."

That's the approach the savvy lady has taken from the start. When she first saw the v-shaped parcel of land where the Wheel Inn now stands, Juanita knew it would make a great place for a restaurant.

"Going back and forth from Detroit to St. Johns, I liked that v-shaped location," the restaurateur says of her visits with relatives, the Russell Steffens family in St. Johns.

At the time she was operating a restaurant in Detroit - "My first restaurant was a dining car," she recalls with a laugh - but was looking to make a change.

"I always thought St. Johns would be a good place to raise a family," she says.

So, when the property and the small, soft-serve ice cream shop that was located there came up for sale in 1955, Juanita and her mother and aunt bought it.

"You know, we bought it from Arnold Paine, but no one seems to be able to remember the name of the place," she says.

And, that was the start of a piece of St. Johns history.

The Wheel Inn initially operated from the small ice cream shop until the spring of 1956 when Juanita added on a kitchen and dining room. The tone of the family-style restaurant was set from the beginning - home-style cooking; counter, booth, and table seating; open 24-hours-a-day; friendly, fast service.

As it turned out, the enterprising lady had judged the location correctly. Traffic on US-27 rolled by day and night, seven days a week - and plenty of people made a stop at the Wheel part of the regular routine.

"We've had customers from every state - they come in all seasons of the year, hunters, skiers, summer vacationers," Juanita says, adding that the most important patrons were the local folks.

"We have a lot of regular customers - we always tried to cater to their wishes and give them good service."

The relationship has been mutually beneficial. Along with providing good food and a friendly environment, the Wheel has offered employment to literally hundreds of local people.

"Juanita has done more good for St. Johns and the surrounding community than probably any other one person," Rand says. "She's hired so many young people and given them a chance to earn some money - she's been a good influence on young people."

While Juanita has no idea on the number of employees she's had over the years, she does know it spans the generations.

"We're on the third generation of staff members," she says, noting that many of the workers who started during high school continued on through college or came back at other times of their lives.

She also wants to make sure her crew receives credit for their contributions to the growth of the Wheel.

"Some of the girls have worked here for 25 years," she says. "I'm going to miss all my help who contributed to the success of the Wheel."

As with anything in life, there have been hardships, however. Without a doubt the most difficult period in the Wheel's history came in June 1977 - when fire destroyed the original structure. Juanita remembers it well.

"It was early in the morning - breakfast time - and I got the call at home. I went out there in a hurry," she says. "Fortunately, everybody got out and no one was hurt."

She decided to rebuild "right away," and the 'new and improved' Wheel reopened January 1, 1978. The larger-sized building featured a bigger kitchen with expanded counter seating and two dining rooms - but the menu and service remained the same.

And, through it all, her family - and loyal customers - provided support.

"They've always been a big help," Juanita says of her children Nancy Moore, Denise Starck, Joe O'Leary, and Patti Storch. All have worked at the Wheel at one time or another; Nancy, along with a granddaughter, Marcy Starck, are remaining to help at the Wheel during the ownership transition.

While Juanita has no definite future plans, it's likely that the Wheel will continue to be graced with her presence.

"I'll certainly miss all my customers who came year after year - I've made a lot of friends and met a lot of good people," she says. "I'd like to thank all my loyal customers."

Many of those 'loyal customers' believe it's Juanita who deserves a 'thank-you.'

"I can’t thank Juanita enough - she's a fine lady," Brewbaker says. "She's been an excellent business associate - and a good friend."

Rand takes the compliment a step further.

"Juanita isn’t someone who blows her own horn, but she's helped a whole lot of people in some difficult situations," she says. "I'm sure she wouldn’t talk about the things she's done for others - she probably won't even admit it."

If that's the case, maybe this is a good time to say "Thank you, Juanita."